'Really thankful to BCCI' - CAN President reveals how India paved way for Nepal’s historic series win against West Indies

Nepal recently scripted history by winning a three-match T20I series against West Indies by a 1-2 margin. The Cricket Association of Nepal's president praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while noting how India’s training support before Nepal’s maiden T20I series against a full-member side generated exceptional results.

Cricket Association of Nepal President, Chatur Bahadur Chand, asserted that the youth uprising, which toppled the government, had an impact on the functioning of the cricket team.

"It was like a bad dream, a nightmare. The protest led to a big political shift and also impacted training of the cricket team. Fortunately, only a few sessions got cancelled," stated Chand, as quoted by The New Indian Express.

Chand expressed gratitude to the BCCI for letting them prepare at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) as well as playing against Assam's local teams ahead of their series against West Indies.  

"We played the Top End T20 Series in Darwin (Australia) against Bangladesh A, Pakistan Shaheens and other Australian sides before having a training camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru in August. Then, we went onto play against Assam's teams in Guwahati. All this prepared the boys well for the upcoming challenge. Really thankful to the BCCI for providing us the opportunities," he added.

Chand hoped that the series win against a full-member side like West Indies will help Nepal cricket get the limelight it deserves. He also provided an update on the new, under-construction venue which will serve as the Nepal team's home stadium.

"Maybe, this win will help us get noticed by the Test playing nations. I just hope the Asian Cricket Council and the world body ICC notice our performance and countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh play bilateral or triangular series against us. Construction of a stadium is underway at the moment in the country. We were the hosts and the series win is like an icing on the cake. Hope it ushers Nepal cricket into a new era," concluded Chand.

Nepal won the first two matches against the Windies by 19 and 90 runs to seal the series at Sharjah. Although they were defeated in the third encounter, a dead rubber, by 10 wickets, there were still a lot of positive signs to cherish and build on for the team and the board.